It was the first time Leah had been out of her house for an extended period of time in well over a month.

She sat in the plastic chair of the hospital waiting room, terrified, shaking, trying not to cry. Seth was in the chair next to her, perfectly still, staring at his feet. Sue and Harry were in the room with Emily's parents, talking to the doctors.

Emily.

She was lying in that hospital bed, bloody and bandaged. They'd gotten the call a few hours ago. Emily had been attacked by a bear. She'd been found in the woods by someone from the reservation out for a hike and rushed to the hospital. Since then it had been a terrible waiting game for information.

She had to be okay, Leah knew she just had to be. The alternative was too grim to even consider. The thought made her heart pound and her throat constrict.

Finally Sue, Harry and Emily's parents emerged from the room.

"She's stable," Sue said to her children. "She's sleeping, but she's fine. The wounds are deep, she needed a lot of stitches. It's mostly just her face, some on her arm. She's going to have bad scars, but she'll be alright."

Leah let out a long breath as a few relieved tears escaped her eyes.

"Can I see her?"

"I don't know, sweetheart... she's sleeping..." her mother said.

"I won't wake her, I swear. I just need to see her."

Leah's mother and father looked at each other hesitantly before Emily's mother stepped in, taking Leah's hand.

"It's alright, Sue. Emily would want her there with her. Come on, honey."

She led Leah down the hallway to Emily's room and let Leah go in alone to have some time with the cousin who was more like a sister.

Emily looked so small, sleeping in the hospital bed. Bandages covered her face and arm. She was covered in little scratches and bruises. Leah guessed they were from falling to the forest floor after the bear attack. She was surrounded by little tubes and wires, and a heart monitor in the corner beeped steadily.

The sight of her wounded cousin brought a fierce sense of loyalty upon Leah. This was Emily, more than her cousin; her sister, her best friend. The person she'd leaned on, in good times and bad. The one who had been there for her, unwavering, after Sam broke her. Now Emily was broken, and Leah vowed then and there to be there for Emily in the same way Emily was always there for her.

She pulled a chair from across the room next to the bed. She sat down and held her cousin's hand, gently, being sure not to wake her.

She didn't know how long she'd been sitting in that chair, gazing protectively at Emily while she slept, when her father stepped into the room and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Leah, honey, you've been in here for a while now. Why don't you go get yourself something to eat in the cafeteria and let's let her parents spend some time with her."

"Okay, daddy," she said as she reluctantly let go of Emily's hand and slowly stepped out of the room with a final glance backward before heading down to the cafeteria.

Her father went back to her mother and Seth. Leah turned the corner to take the elevator down to the ground floor. She stopped short, her breath caught in her throat. There, pacing up and down the hallway with jerky, anxious movements, was Sam Uley.

Her entire body tensed as a month's worth of pain came rushing back to her, seeing his face for the first time in weeks.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!"

"Leah! I... where's Emily? Is she okay? I...I heard... what happened...is she okay?! Please, god, tell me she's okay..."

He paced faster and faster. Leah thought his shoes were going to dig holes in the floor.

Leah stared at him in confusion. A month ago his concern for her family would have been touching, but now... it didn't make sense. He didn't love her anymore. Why would he care so much about her cousin? Unless... No, it was crazy. That thought made no sense. She pushed it from her mind and returned to the task at hand.

"Why do you even care?! You don't know her! She doesn't even like you, not after what you did to me! So just get out of here! No one wants you here!"

"But I..."

"Sam."

Their heads turned at the sound of the stern voice. It was Harry, walking with purpose down the hallway. He came to stand behind Leah, placing a firm hand on his daughter's shoulder. His eyes bore into Sam's.

"You need to leave."

"But sir, I..."

"Now."

He moved as if about to say something, to protest, but then stopped and nodded. He turned and quickly pushed through the door leading to the stairs, and disappeared.

Leah's eyes welled up with tears as she watched him go.

"What the heck was that about?" she said with a hitch in her voice.

Harry didn't answer, just pulled his only daughter into a tight hug. "You're a good girl, Leah. Strong, too. Don't ever forget that."

She choked back more tears, and managed to keep her voice steady. "Can I go check on Em again?"

"Of course, honey. Come on."


Emily was awake when Leah got back to her room.

"Leah..." Her voice was hoarse from sleep and pain.

"No, Em! Don't move, just rest. Here, I'll sit by you," Leah said, reclaiming her spot in the chair by the bed. She held tightly to her cousin's hand as she took in the sight of her eyes, struggling to stay open amid the bandages.

"How are you?" Typical Emily, Leah thought. She must have been in so much pain, but there she was, worrying about Leah.

"Me? I'm... great! Good. Worried about you! God, Em, I was so scared. We all were. Thank god you're okay. I don't know what I would have done if..." She trailed off. Emily ignored Leah's rambling. The girls knew each other well enough that Emily, even in her injured state, could see right through her.

"Did something happen?"

"Yes! You got mauled by a bear! The only thing you should be worrying about right now is healing, so just sleep, okay? I'll stay with you if you want."

"Leah. Tell me."

Leah sighed. "Sam was here. He came here to see you." Leah winced. She hadn't meant for that last word to come out with an edge of bitterness. She hoped Emily didn't notice.

Emily herself started to cry, and Leah's heart broke for her.

"Oh, no, Em. What's the matter? Don't cry, okay? Don't worry about him, he's a jackass. I'm fine, you're fine, he's gone. Just get better, okay?"

"No... it's not that... I..."

"...Em?"

"I need to tell you something."

Leah was sure her heart stopped for a brief moment. "About..."

"Sam."

Leah held her breath. She wanted to tell Emily to stop and rest, but she seemed resolute, and Leah felt a sort of morbid curiosity tugging at the corners of her mind. She remained quiet while Emily explained.

"It was after... a few weeks ago. I went to the store to get some milk for Sue while you were in the shower... and I ran into Sam."

"...Did he talk to you?"

"That's the thing," she said nervously, wringing her hands together. "He tried to make small talk at first, but I was short with him, and then he just started saying all these things... ridiculous things..."

"Like what?" Leah tried to keep her tone even and casual.

"It didn't... it didn't make any sense... he started going on about... about love... and fate... and soulmates... and me..."

"But that doesn't..."

"I know! I didn't know what to do. I'd met him once. And what he did to you... I yelled at him and left."

"He's in love with you," Leah said quietly, disbelieving. "He left me for you."

"I'm so sorry, Leah, you have to believe me, I don't know what got into him, but I didn't... I wouldn't..."

"I know." Her vision blurred as tears continued to collect in the corner of her eyes.

"That's why I stayed away for a while," Emily said, grasping Leah's hand. "He wouldn't leave me alone. He started standing outside your house while I was there. I didn't know how to tell you, I didn't want to hurt you more, and I didn't want you to see him there, so I thought I'd stay away from your house and figure out how to get him to leave us alone... I should have told you... please forgive me... I didn't want him to hurt you more..."

Leah felt numb. "I don't know what to say."

"Please, Leah," Emily said fiercely, gripping her hand tighter. "You have to know, I would never... I hate him for what he's done to you. I would never betray you like that. Never."

"Oh, Em. I know. I love you. Don't worry, I know."

Emily let out a sigh of relief and settled back down on the pillows. "Good."

"Don't worry about Sam. Just rest. Get better," Leah said. She focused her mind entirely on Emily's injury and helping her get better. She didn't think of Emily's protests against Sam. Had she, she would have admitted that it seemed as though Emily were trying to convince herself more than Leah.

And her heart couldn't handle that.


A/N: So I'm totally not in love with this chapter. It feels more like a filler to me. Meh. I'm okay with how it turned out, but not thrilled. Maybe I'll play with it more later, but for now, I really want to get on to the juicer stuff... so there ya go. Constructive criticism/suggestions always welcome. Help me be a better writer! : D